Heights Has The No. 2 Most Expensive Block In Brooklyn

The Epoch Times has been scouring New York City for its “most expensive blocks,” based on median sale prices with at least three home sales over the last two years. Research covers January 2010 to December 2011. In Brooklyn, the newspaper’s March 27 survey comes up with three Park Slope blocks in the top 10, two in Cobble Hill, and one each in Midwood, Carroll Gardens, Manhattan Beach, Homecrest… and Brooklyn Heights.

According to Epoch’s research, based on Property Shark stats, the Heights has the No. 2 priciest block: delimited by Joralemon Street and State Street/Willow Place and Hicks Street, which had a median sale price of $3,125,000. Interesting to note: A single-family home at 33 Willow Place exchanged hands twice, first on Aug. 13, 2010 for $3,600,000 and a second time on June 28, 2011 for $3,920,000.

Overall, the priciest block in Brooklyn is in Midwood, delimited by Avenue I and Avenue J/Ocean Parkway and 7th Avenue, with a median sale price of $4,350,000. The biggest sale there was a single-family home on 935 Ocean Parkway, on Nov. 11, 2010 for $6,130,000. Less than one year later, on Sept. 20, 2011, it exchanged hands again, for a slightly smaller amount of $6,000,000.

Interesting that a block like Columbia Heights near Pierrepont or the fruit streets didn’t come out higher in the ranking.

Also, not to sound provincial but Midwood is a bit of a head-scratcher. You’d think Dumbo would have ranked. I guess they’re using a narrow criteria of sales data, not the overall property value worth.

Flashlight Worthy

I think you’re right — it’s sales data only. And that block of the Heights, at a glance, is co-op and condo free so there are no apartments to drive the average price down.

Knight

Sales data is the key to their equation — a bogus statistic if you’re looking at true value. A block worth 10x the amount that has stable ownership wouldn’t even make the top 100 list by that measure.

Matthew Parker

Having grown up in the Midwood area, I can vouch that some of those houses are mansion-like. Some folks in the past 20 years would buy two adjacent lots, tear down both houses, and build one ginormous home. It’s also a quiet, safe and quite pretty there. For some people, especially in the Syrian Jewish community, there’s a great premium spent to be within walking distance to synagogue. All of these factors make for some expensive real estate.

And of course, when in Midwood, you’re near DiFara’s pizza, which frankly is priceless.

Heightsman

Don’t kid yourself. Columbia Heights is the real deal.

Bob Scott

Of course, Orthodox Jews living in the Midwood mansions are unlikely to patronize DiFara!

Matthew Parker

That was more representing my upbringing near that nabe. Been going to Dominic for decades.

Though some of the Syrian Jews are orthodox, they are Sephardic and middle eastern, which is quite a different culture than the Ashkenazi, which have a European background. I grew up knowing a bunch of “SYs” and many did patronize DiFara. For some, being kosher was optional, or mostly at home.

http://deleted Anon

Well known secret that Willow Place is the best place in the Heights…and think about it, the Brooklyn Heights Association doesn’t even recognize Willowtown as legitimately in the Heighs at all! Just goes to show you how out of touch those geezers at the BHA really are.

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